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Wind takes down hundreds of trees in Lakes Basin

The winds that blew throughout the state Wednesday night brought down approximately 300 to 400 trees in the Mammoth Lakes Basin.

Most of the trees were located in the vicinity of the Mammoth Lakes Pack Station. Many of the uprooted trees have not completely fallen to the ground, but rather are leaning on other trees or other blowdown.

Due to this hazardous situation, and the fact that the winds are still blowing, the Inyo National Forest has temporarily closed off portions of the area with yellow “Restricted Area” tape and closure signs.

At this time the Forest Service is highly discouraging pedestrian traffic in the Lakes Basin.

Unfortunately high winds are predicted for the next several days, so until they subside the Forest Service cannot safely go into the Lakes Basin to do a full assessment of the damage and begin to clean it up.
Forest Service engineering crews and equipment will be made available next week to begin the clean-up work once it is safe to go into the area, weather permitting.

At this time damage assessments are being conducted throughout various areas of the Inyo National Forest hit hard by the high winds. The Forest Service encourages the public to report observations of damaged property, trees across roads or trails, or downed utility lines.

It is important to stay clear of areas where it appears damage has occurred and to report it to the Forest Service as soon as possible.

For more information, call the Mammoth Welcome Center at (760) 924-5500.